Saquon Barkley has admitted he could have handled his exit from the New York Giants in a better way after a series of social media posts towards franchise legend Tiki Barber.
Barkley, a favourite among fans, previously voiced hopes to stay with the Giants throughout his NFL career. However, his shock move to their NFC East rivals the Philadelphia Eagles on a three-year, $37.75million (£29.7m) contract took everyone by surprise.
After confirming his move with two Eagles emojis on social media, Barkley’s decision was slammed by Barber who said: “You’re dead to me”. Despite his own controversial exit from the Giants in 2007, Barber only played for New York during his NFL career.
The longtime New York Giants running back, who inked a three-year, $37.75 million contract with the NFC East-rival Eagles, will stick with the jersey No. 26 on his new team. During his introductory press conference on Thursday, Barkley dispelled any rumors that the Eagles committed a tampering violation by directly contacting him before he agreed to sign a deal.
“For him now to come back and be able to play within the state, in Philadelphia, he said that was one of the first things that Howie said to him on the phone as part of his sales pitch,” Franklin said of Barkley. “Not only the Philadelphia Eagles and that but also the connection with Penn State and the fan base as well. So just a really cool opportunity.”
